Like South Bend police and firefighters, Mishawaka firefighters have chosen a new merit system to handle their personnel matters, while the city’s police want to keep the status quo for now.
Under an Indiana law enacted last year, cities have until the end of this year to decide whether to use a merit system for their police and fire departments. Instead of only the mayor picking the citizen board members who decide their personnel matters, the merit system lets the officers and firefighters pick some of the board.
South Bend has opted for the new system for both police and firefighters. At their meeting Monday, the Mishawaka Common Council passed a resolution rejecting the change for police, at the officers’ recommendation, and approved firefighters’ request to make the change.
The state law aims to reduce political factors in these personnel moves.
Eric Hiatt, president of Mishawaka firefighters Local 360, told the council that for the past year and a half the union has been studying the system and attending seminars on it across the state.
"We've worked hard to educate our members to the best of our ability on how it's going to be set up and how it's going to be run," Hiatt said. "We believe the merit system will help with professionalizing, standardizing, and to an extent, depoliticizing the fire department, when it comes to the four main topics of hiring, firing, promotion and discipline."
